I would’ve liked to observe other English teachers
I would have liked to receive feedback after being observed
How much useful information can one collect when only observing me for 3 minutes— I’d prefer to receive feedback from my peers (rather than admin.)
Current CoP practice enlists teachers as box checkers
We should set ground rules to prevent observers from interrupting instruction
How might record / share data from observations?
Take video of one another
Provide useful feedback about what we observed
Provide constructive criticism
Expertise— Choose to observe another teacher based on their expertise / strengths
Make observations goal-directed— Here’s my strength, here’s my weakness, here’s a question I have
Archive the lessons we observe— collect handouts, record video, or audio— create something we can go back to and learn from
Have teacher’s deliver mini-lessons (based on best practices)
Learning Channel (NBCT resource)— we could use these videos to develop lessons that we could then teach and/or observe— to choose common strategies that we all could practice and then observe
Give one, get one— Here’s something I do well, give me something you do well
Collaborative inquiry / Action based research— ask Ms. Roe for more details— We could develop a question as a department— Develop lessons or strategies to address question— adjust question as necessary— Then share our findings by dept. or school wide.
Focus on student response
Allow teacher’s more control over observation— Who can I observe, when I can observe them?
Put in footwork— Teacher’s being observed should have an opportunity to prepare— visitation should not be done at random— we’ll learn more from someone who is teaching purposefully to a question or need we have
We should move from SCHOOL WIDE GOAL to a DEPT. GOAL to INDIVIDUAL GOALS. Based on these individual goals, we can decide who we visit and when.
We could be told, you have to visit two teachers this semester. Then the choice is up to us who/when to visit.
Some would like scheduling to be more structured. i.e. This week members of the English dept. need to visit one class during their conference period.
We must consider the restraints already placed on our schedules. Maybe a teacher could be filmed and we could meet during PD time to observe and provide feedback.
Could faculty meetings be reassigned as period-by-period observations?
Could PD’s be scheduled to prepare for and/or respond to observations?
Teachers expressed a preference to first observe different teachers in their own department. Then to observe teachers in other departments.
Next steps…
For 6/13, we need to reflect on strengths and weaknesses. What worked and what did not. What do I do well. What do I need help with. Maybe provide guidelines for professional growth.
I would’ve liked to observe other English teachers
I would have liked to receive feedback after being observed
How much useful information can one collect when only observing me for 3 minutes— I’d prefer to receive feedback from my peers (rather than admin.)
Current CoP practice enlists teachers as box checkers
We should set ground rules to prevent observers from interrupting instruction
How might record / share data from observations?
Take video of one another
Provide useful feedback about what we observed
Provide constructive criticism
Expertise— Choose to observe another teacher based on their expertise / strengths
Make observations goal-directed— Here’s my strength, here’s my weakness, here’s a question I have
Archive the lessons we observe— collect handouts, record video, or audio— create something we can go back to and learn from
Have teacher’s deliver mini-lessons (based on best practices)
Learning Channel (NBCT resource)— we could use these videos to develop lessons that we could then teach and/or observe— to choose common strategies that we all could practice and then observe
Give one, get one— Here’s something I do well, give me something you do well
Collaborative inquiry / Action based research— ask Ms. Roe for more details— We could develop a question as a department— Develop lessons or strategies to address question— adjust question as necessary— Then share our findings by dept. or school wide.
Focus on student response
Allow teacher’s more control over observation— Who can I observe, when I can observe them?
Put in footwork— Teacher’s being observed should have an opportunity to prepare— visitation should not be done at random— we’ll learn more from someone who is teaching purposefully to a question or need we have
We should move from SCHOOL WIDE GOAL to a DEPT. GOAL to INDIVIDUAL GOALS. Based on these individual goals, we can decide who we visit and when.
We could be told, you have to visit two teachers this semester. Then the choice is up to us who/when to visit.
Some would like scheduling to be more structured. i.e. This week members of the English dept. need to visit one class during their conference period.
We must consider the restraints already placed on our schedules. Maybe a teacher could be filmed and we could meet during PD time to observe and provide feedback.
Could faculty meetings be reassigned as period-by-period observations?
Could PD’s be scheduled to prepare for and/or respond to observations?
Teachers expressed a preference to first observe different teachers in their own department. Then to observe teachers in other departments.
Next steps…
For 6/13, we need to reflect on strengths and weaknesses. What worked and what did not. What do I do well. What do I need help with. Maybe provide guidelines for professional growth.